Archers-Red Lions game to benefit calamity-hit areas

MANILA, Philippines - Reigning collegiate champions La Salle of the UAAP and San Beda of the NCAA clash on Dec. 7 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum to generate funds for victims of Typhoon Yolanda.

“We all know all of us like to see the UAAP champion play the NCAA champion and see who gets to win,” Joey Guillermo of the organizing Filoil Flying V Sports yesterday said.

“But what’s more meaningful about this game is that it’s for a cause,” he added.

Interestingly, the match will come a couple of weeks after University of Santo Tomas and Letran, runners-up in the UAAP and NCAA, respectively, played each other last week at the Letran Gym also to help relief efforts.

Earlier, the Lions held a bonfire to solicit funds for the same cause while the NCAA had already donated a sum to TV5’s social arm.

The Archers and the Lions clinched their league titles by beating the Tigers and Knights, both Dominican schools, in a pair of pulsating three-game series.

La Salle will parade the same triumphant team coached by Juno Sauler and spearheaded by Finals MVP Jeron Teng, Arnold Van Opstal, Norbert Torres and Almond Vosotros while San Beda will field a squad mentored by Boyet Fernandez and beefed up by skipper Rome dela Rosa, Ola Adeogun, Arthur dela Cruz and Baser Amer.

“We look forward to that game and use this as a vehicle to help our unfortunate countrymen,” said San Beda coach Fernandez, who was named co-coach of the year by the joint UAAP and NCAA press corps in their Collegiate Awards on Dec. 15 at the Kamayan Edsa.